Pablo Laso Biurrun (born 13 October 1967) is a Spanish professionalbasketball coach and former player who is the current head coach forSaski Baskonia of the SpanishLiga ACB and theEuroLeague. He was thehead coach ofReal Madrid for eleven seasons from 2011 to 2022, guiding them to twoEuroLeague championships and sixACB titles. As a player, he was a prominentpoint guard in Spain and Italy.
Laso played 17,378 minutes (4th most) in 624 games (9th most) in theLiga ACB (thetop-tier level Spanish League).[1][2] He holds the ACB records formost career assists (2,896)[3] andmost career steals (1,219).[4]
He won the1995 edition of theSpanish Cup, and won the Most Valuable Player award of the tournament. He also won the championship of theFIBA Saporta Cup's1996–97 season.
Laso played in 61games with the seniorSpanish national team. He played at theEuroBasket 1989, the1994 FIBA World Championship, and theEuroBasket 1995.[5]
In 2008, Laso ledBruesa GBC, to achieve a leaguepromotion to the Spanish top-tier levelLiga ACB
Laso ledReal Madrid to win theEuroLeague championships of the2014–15 season, and the2017–18 season. He also led Real Madrid to win 6Spanish League championships (2013,2015,2016,2018,2019,2022), 5Spanish Cups (2012,2014,2015,2016,2017,2020), and 6Spanish Supercups (2012,2013,2014,2018,2019,2020).
Laso also led Real Madrid to win the championship of the2015 edition of theFIBA Intercontinental Cup.
During the2014 ACB Playoffs Real Madrid played a rematch of the2014 Euroleague Final Four semifinal againstFC Barcelona Bàsquet. Laso suffered anAchilles tendon rupture after Madrid's loss in the first game of the series. The coach chose to coach Game 2 on crutches, which resulted in a Madrid victory.[6] Laso opted for surgery and returned to Real's sideline in a wheelchair in game 4. The coach would beejected from the game by referees early in the second half and was wheeled from the arena escorted by security.[7][8] Barcelona would go on to win the ACB championship 3-1.
In July 2022, Madrid parted ways with Laso for medical reasons. He had suffered a heart attack during the2022 ACB Playoffs that forced him to stay in the hospital for two days. Real had consulted doctors and cardiologists who said it would be a risk for Laso's health if he continued his job as head coach.[9]
On June 12, 2023, he signed withFC Bayern Munich of the GermanBasketball Bundesliga.[10]
On June 28, 2024, he signed withSaski Baskonia of the SpanishLiga ACB.[11]
| Legend | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win-loss % | ||
Note: TheEuroLeague is not the only competition in which the team played during the season. He also coached in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 2011–12 | 16 | 12 | 4 | .750 | Eliminated in Top 16 stage |
| 2012–13 | 29 | 21 | 8 | .724 | Lost in the final game | |
| 2013–14 | 31 | 25 | 6 | .806 | Lost in the final game | |
| 2014–15 | 30 | 24 | 6 | .800 | WonEuroleague Championship | |
| 2015–16 | 27 | 12 | 15 | .444 | Eliminated in quarterfinals | |
| 2016–17 | 36 | 26 | 10 | .722 | Lost in 3rd place game | |
| 2017–18 | 36 | 24 | 12 | .667 | WonEuroLeague Championship | |
| 2018–19 | 35 | 26 | 9 | .743 | Won in 3rd place game | |
| 2020–21 | 39 | 22 | 17 | .564 | Eliminated in quarterfinals | |
| 2021–22 | 31 | 21 | 10 | .677 | Lost in the final game | |
| Career | 310 | 213 | 97 | .687 | ||
